A Review on a Historical Novel: Ibn Khaldfin According to Bensalem Irlimmich's al- Allama (The Polymath)

Abstract

A historical novel is a literary genre based on a fiction that refers to history as a source. Bensalem Himmich, who is a poet and a philosopher, is one of the most important Moroccan writers who produced works in this genre. He is especially famous for his historical novels, and he has received many awards in this field. Himmich continued to publish his works in two languages; Arabic and French, and he covered the life of Ibn Khaldan as one of the important names of Islamic history in his novel called al- Allama (The Polymath). In some parts of the novel, Himmich remains mostly loyal to historical reality, while in some other parts it should be emphasized that he prefers more fiction. Thus, he had tried to complete the unknown aspects in the life of Ibn Khaldan by using fiction and gave a new perspective to his life. In this article, we will present historical facts and comparison to examine an interpretation of the portrait of Ibn Khaldan in the novel alAllama (The Polymath) by Himmich between historical facts and fiction. [You may find an extended abstract of this article after the bibliography.]